Shipping containers for motion picture reels and other articles



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORJ'.' Jacob M. Goldberg` Goldberg Nathan J. M. GOLDBERG ET AL SHIPPING CONTAINERS FOR MOTION PICTURE REELS AND OTHER ARTICLES Sept. 20, 1955 Filed April 20, 1955 ATTORNEY Sept- 20, 1955 J. M. GOLDBERG ET AL 2,718,300

SHIPPING CONTAINERS FOR MOTION PICTURE REELS AND OTHER ARTICLES Filed April 20, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS.' Jacob M. Goldberg Nahan Gold berg ,gy m

ATTORNEY United States Patent O SHIPPING CONTAINERS FOR MOTION PICTURE REELS AND OTHER ARTICLES Jacob M. Goldberg and Nathan Goldberg, Denver, Colo.

Application April 20, 1953, Serial No. 349,882

1 Claim. (Cl. 206-56) This invention relates to shipping and other containers, and particularly to containers adapted to hold motion picture reels and other articles which occupy all or substantially all the space between opposite Walls of the container and therefore cannot be removed easily from the container.

Motion picture reels comprise a cylindrical portion on which the film is wound, and a pair of large anges between which the lm is confined. Containers for storing and shipping such reels preferably comprise opposite vertical side walls spaced apart a distance equal to the thickness of the reel or reels to be contained therein, and opposite vertical end walls spaced apart a distance equal to the diameter or" the reel. A bottom wall is connected to said side and end walls, and a hinged cover closes the open top of the container.

For eflicient storage and shipment of motion picture reels, it is desirable to make the container t the contents quite closely, and to have the opposite vertical side walls of the container parallel to and in frictional engagement with the flanges of the reel between which the iilm is confined. However, it is diicult to grasp the reel or other contents in such a container for the purpose of removing same through the open top thereof.

The main object of our invention is to obviate the objections mentioned and to provide, in a container of the character described, means for lifting the contents and facilitating their removal easily and speedily. The said lifting means also serve to protect the reels or other articles while stored in the container.

The advantages of the invention will be apparent from L the following specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional View of a container embodying our invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken in the plane of the broken line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of a portion of the lifting means which is a part of the container embodying our invention.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 1, showing the lifting means in different positions, and indicating in dotted lines the diiferent positions occupied by a motion picture reel which is being removed from the container.

In the preferred embodiment of our invention shown in the drawings, the container comprises opposite vertical side walls 11, 12, opposite vertical end walls 13, 14, a bottom wall and a cover 16 for closing the open top of the container. Preferably the cover 16 is loosely hinged at 17 to the side wall 11 as shown in Fig. 2, and the container is provided with any suitable locking means 18 for securing the cover to the opposite side Wall 12 when the cover is in closed position on the container.

For holding motion picture reels, the container is provided with side walls which are substantially square, and measure only slightly more in height and width than the diameter of the reel flanges. The space between the side walls 11 and 12 is equal to the thickness of the reel or 2,718,300 Patented Sept. 20, 1955 ICC reels to be placed in the container. It is desirable to confine the contents against motion Within the container and to have the outer faces of the reel flanges frictionally engage the inner surfaces of the side walls 11 and 12 in order to hold the contents against movement in the container and to prevent distortion or other injury to the reels.

The substantial weight of the loaded reels together with their close t within the container make it difficult to grasp them for the purpose of removal from the container. To overcome this difficulty, we have provided lifting means which facilitate the removal of the contents and also serve to protect them while Within the container.

Preferably the lifting means comprises a flexible strap 20 made of two layers of material, the layer 21 being relatively soft, such as woven or felted fabric or other suitable material, and the layer 22 being of durable material such as spring steel capable of sustaining substantial weight and of resisting wear in use. The strap 20 is wide enough to iit between the container side walls 11 and 12, and its length is approximately three-fourths of the circumferential dimension of the reel which the container is designed to hold. The two layers are arranged face to face and riveted together as indicated at 23.

One end of the strap 20 is secured to the upper edge of one of the end walls, as indicated at 24 on the end wall 14. The free end of the strap is reduced in width as indicated at 25 (Fig. 3), the reduced portion being passed around one side of a metal loop handle 26 and riveted or otherwise fastened to the strap body by means 27 to firmly secure the handle 26 to the strap end.

One or more, preferably two, hook members are fastened to the strap on the side facing the container, that is the side of the strap which is faced with spring steel or the like. Each hook member comprises a flat plate 28 curved to form the hook portion 29. One of these members 28-29 is secured by rivets 30 to the strap 20 a short distance from the free end of the strap, and another hook member 28-29 is secured to the strap a distance from the rst mentioned hook member, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 4.

In Fig. 4, we have indicated in dotted lines the circular outline of a motion picture reel 31. The lowermost position of the reel 31 is that which it occupies when the strap 20 is entirely within the container 10 as shown in Fig. 1. The intermediate position of the reel 31 as shown in Fig. 4, is that which it occupies when the hook member 28-29 engages the upper edge of the end wall 13. The uppermost position of the reel 31 is that which it occupies when the hook member 2329 engages the upper edge of the end wall 13 as shown in Fig. 4.

When the hook members 28-29 are disengaged from the container wall, the strap 20 automatically assumes the position shown in Fig. l because the spring steel layer 22 renders the strap self-supporting within the container. In this position the reel 31 rests on the strap layer 21 of soft fabric or the like, whereby the strap as a whole protects the reel by engaging the peripheral portion thereof.

To remove the reel or other contents, the operator engages the handle 26 and lifts the strap 20 until the reel 31 has been raised sufficiently to protrude from the open top of the container. The hook 28-29 or the hook 28-29 may engage the upper edge of the end wall 13 for the purpose of holding the strap 20 and the article supported thereon in raised position, from which it can be lifted easily and quickly, without marring either the container or the article.

Changes may be made in the container dimensions to adapt it for holding various articles, and the width and length of the strap 20 likewise may be varied for this purpose. The relative proportions of the strap and container as shown herein exemplify the preferred form for use in connection with motion picture reels. Changes may be made in details of construction and form of parts without departing from the scope of our invention as dened by the following claim.

We claim: l

An open topped shipping container for motion picture reels comprising opposite substantially square side Walls, opposite relatively narrow end walls and a bottom, said walls and bottom being rigidly connected together with said side walls being spaced apart a distance such that the side walls will frictionally engage outer faces of a motion picture reel which has been placed Within the container, a cover hingedly attached to one of said side Walls for closing the open top, a fabric lined metallic'lifting strap at least as Wide as the width of amotion picture reel and substantially equal in Width to the width of the container end Walls and of a length sufficient to cover the inner surfaces of said end walls and bottom, said strap being firmly connected at one end t'o the upper portion of one end wall, a handle on the free end of the strap, and a plurality of spaced apart hook-like means having flat plate-like portions attached to the outer face of the strap at a distance from the handle, said hook-like means engaging the upper edge of the opposite end Wall when the strap has been raised relatively to said containerbottom, whereby a motion picture reel which has been placed Within the container is periphervally supported on said strap in one of a-plu'rality of selected positions to project above the top of the container.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

